Method of tempering paper labels



Dec. 26, 1922. G. A. ROBINSON.

METHOD OAF TEMPERING PAPER LABELS.

before the adhesive is applied, but as here` Patented Dee, Ztl, i922,

Ti @a `lill haar.

ences-fr: A. rtonriison, or autrici', rrassacrrusnrrs, assrerioia, 'nr ivrnsrin Assiemkil/l'lillClS, TO STATE. STREET TRUST CGLPANY, SETTS,.A CORPORATION OF LIASSACHUSETTS.

ranfraon or yrriarnnrris renne talents.

apputative sied January e, leal. semaine. 435,469.

To all Iwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, GEORGE A; RoeiNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy, county of `Norfolk, State `of Massamethod of treating paper labels which are to have adhesive applied to them and which `are to be immediately affixed to the age before the adhesive dries.` lf the label is dry when the adhesive is applied to it,

there is a tendency of the label to curl after it is gummed and there is also `a tendency for the label to stretchafter it has been gulnmed.'v The object of the present invention is. to treat the label before being,`

gummed in such manner as to avoid any curling of the label and also to cause the stretching,` totale place before the adhesive is applied so as to prevent any stretching of the label after the application of the adhesive. Attempts have been made. to ac-y complish this resultby moistening the label tofore practised the results have been very uncertain owing to the fact that different grades or quality of paper vary in theA coeliicient offabsorption of moisture. lt is important that before the adhesive is applied to the sheet the water `shall penetrate entirely through the paperso that all the fibres ofthe paper are moist, otherwise 'the paper still has a tendency to curl instead of lying flat, and moreover the paper continues to stretch, which is a condition we wish to avoid. 0n the other hand if the paper is left in the water longer than the time required for the moisture to penetrate all of the fibres, then the paper begins to dis-` integrate and the fibres pull apart, thus lt is also important that there should not be any film of water on the surface of the paper .at the time the adhesive is applied, otherwise the adhesive does not strike the paper atall, that is if there is a film of water between the ad-` hesive and the paper it prevents the label from. adhering' properly to the package. It is therefore important that the paper label should receive just the requisite quan paoli-L tity of water to penetrate entirely through the paper and no more, and that itshould not be left exposed to the bath any longer than the length `of time required for the water to penetrate the fibres, as already described. Every grade of paper apparently has a definite coeilicient of absorption which is constant at all times, but as already stated the coefiicient varies with the dierent grades, qualities or kinds of paper` l have `found that as the temperature of the water is raised the moisture penetrates the paper much fastergtherefore, the temperature and the length of time to which the label is subjected tothe water bathshould be so `determined or should bear such relation to each other that the water will have time to penetrate entirely through the paper `and no more,ibefore the adhesive is applied.

rlhis will causethe paper to stretch and prevent its curling. When this is done the paper is so ten'ipered that additional moisture such as may be contained in the adhesive which is applied to the label immediately after the -label is moistened will notvcause anyfurther stretch in theflabel.

lt is important that 'thetemperature of the water should be below the vaporizing point and alsor that it should be at a temperature as high as the ordinary room temperature. Best results are obtained when the temperature of the water is not below 90o and not higher than 1800.

lilith the water at a certain ltemperature, apaper of certain 2(grade or coefficient of moisture should remain immersed a predetermined length of time. ,The lower the temperatuie,` the longer time it should remain in the tank. ln other words, stated in the form of an equation, if T equals the length of time, X equals the temperature,

be the samen so-that if T is vvariedj X should be variedii'i'versely, so that the "product C Will always be the same.

lt is extremely ditlicultu in i'act practically Water in the passage through the tanl, and

.-"npon'leinergingfrom' the tank the suriace "water shoufldbe removed? for inst-ance by nefiaiee detail in the drawings but only so --much as is suiiicient to clearly illustrate 'the process. Thek drawing` is a diagrammatic View of a zachine by which the process of the inventrolled and regulated by a. yalye 4;. A thermometer 5 :Within the -tanl indicates the temperatura, the'tanlr having a glass 'side so 5 ,imimssible7 to got thisiiniformity by hand tion may be practised. 60

'Worin In order to get the uniformity it can Referring now to the drawingthe'tank l best be done mechanically and ther best contains Water of suitable depth, the level method ot' accomplishing this linown tome oil' the Water` being` shown at 2. A steam is to canse the labels' tol travel through a pipe 3 provides means Jfor hea-ting the Water,

tank of Waten being;l fully immersed in the and the admission of steam can be con- 65 that the thermometer `can be 'easily read.

"passing alabel'between.rolls which vhave a rlhe ypaper labels are fed from a table 6 70 l5 very slightL wringing; pressure upon the `pa- Vpeny andthenthe adhesive should be applied to be gripped between vtwo carrier-'belts 8 tO'one Jface of thelabel fllhe label' is then as the belts converge after runningover the f ready toy be applied to thev package. f guide-rolls ,9, l0. The carrierlbelts run over Means should also be provided for mainguide rolls 11, 12 in the tank, andcarry-the 2Otainingthe*water at thetemperature delabels downinto the Water in the-tank Aand 75 sired;y and the carrier which carries the label -Yout againathence overv the guide Kroll 13, dtl11'ougfl1ftlie tank should be leaused to travel `and Vthen deliyerthelabels to a support le.

at apredeterminedrate otr aeed. therthere may be a vtilm of Water on the finometer shouldfbe provided'within the tank surface of the label when it isremoved Afrom -L 'so that the .temperature of the rWater. can at the tank.r it is best to-haye-this surface Water 80 lalltimesbe-determined, andmeans lshould :immediately removed, `so thatI it 1iyillnot 7be provided for? controllinfri,` lthe temperature cause aneXeess saturation of the llabel -'nor `ofi thel Water -so *as to maintainit at a conthe Water be lettv as' avlilinV onfthei surface letant temperature. Any suitable means t'or when the adhesive is applied. Any suitable ;v treatingI and Controlling` vrthe temperature means may be'employed 'fior'rem'oving.this 85 may-be employed. lOne means consists oi a film trom --the sur-tace Without injuring the yalve controlled steam pipe or pipes extendpaper. The preferred means is tofI pass it `img-,into the tank.V Now'ii the constant, that between Wrinpjei" rolls l5. 16A -towhich it. is --is @pleas-been determined in advance-and thespeedfof-the-lcarrier islmoyn, which delivered'trom-thesupport17. y f y `The adhesive may 13e-appliedini-any suit. 90 Tspeed isdeterminedby Athe rate of delivery -'-of-thesheets oipaper' to :tnlll the requireable either by hand or mechanically.

'mentsot subsequent steps in fthe manipulaconvenient `method is to apply it mechanit tion of the "previously prepared sheets, then cally.ior`finstance by causingtheilabel to pass from the Wringer rolls `15g-16 across a 40-the4 temperature@of4 the vaterV shouldl be *maintained at suchy a degree that T X:C.

support l? intofcontact with a.gluingroll 95 *lt'Will't-hus be seen that once the coet- 18. The gluing roll is shown` as dipping -iicient--isfdetermined, then so long as the into a glue pan 19.

same quality 'offla-bels is employed an exact Y lllhat l l'elaim isc- V f lil-he herein described i'uethod of temperuniformity of Athe product is obtained by labels which consists indetermining the 100 1v-simply' maintaining thepredetermined*temcoetlicient of Vabsorption the paper of #perature ofthe Water and' 'speed ofthe oarwhich said labels are composedrand immers- Y trier. them for a constant timel-in"`water-at a -Anysuitable form vot label carrier and tenuwrature contorni' icgkto the formula: ft'a-nle and means of determining the tem-` TXI: wherein rlreircsents the constant 105 i timen X the temperature, and @the coetiioient of absorption. c

ln testimony vwhereof lailiixffinysignature.y

wl'ieraturc oi' the Water maybe employeth as 1 uyention'does not oonsistin theA meehf-.ai mltor carrying;,out-the-iiirocess but in -theprocessitself. Therefore .TV do not deem it-'necessary to show the "mechanism infiull f 

